Symrise and Cutech launch SCoutech

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announcement. 
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Joint venture provides high-tech screening services for the personal
care, nutraceuticals and pharma industries
 
Holzminden/Padua - Symrise GmbH Co. KG and the Italian biotech
company Cutech Srl have founded a highly specialized biotechnology
joint venture called SCoutech as of  April 1st, 2008.  SCoutech
offers screening services for cosmetic raw materials, cosmetic
formulations, pharmaceuticals and nutraceuticals.  Using cell and
tissue-based screening assays, SCoutech supports the development of
effective products for skin and hair care.
 
In this joint venture, Symrise and Cutech merge their expertise and
offer their clients extensive screening and consulting services. The
Padua-based Italian company Cutech is specialized in the design of
highly informative skin and hair follicle screening models to be used
as an alternative to animal testing, whereas Symrise provides the
full range of its experience in developing active ingredients and in
consumer research.
 
Symrise and Cutech have been collaborating since 2003 in the field of
biotissue engineering. This pioneering cooperation has resulted in
the development of a full thickness pig skin model (PSOCM) to be used
as a more reliable and economical alternative to artificial skin
models. Via SCoutech, this powerful model, for which a patent is
pending, is now available for contract screening for the first time.
Together with the portfolio of screening tools already available at
Cutech, it allows SCoutech to offer a broad range of screening assays
in full compliance with the new EU cosmetics directive which
gradually bans animal testing on personal care products.
 
"This joint venture offers our clients in the beauty and health
industry  sophisticated tools to test the efficacy and tolerability
of their products - from individual ingredients all the way to the
finished products. Both partners are bringing their strengths and
expertise to this joint venture and can synergize them to create a
service that is unique in this industry," says Dr. Gabriele
Vielhaber, Vice President Innovation / R&D Life Essentials, who is
responsible for the Symrise side of the initiative.
 
Dr. Paolo Pertile, President and CEO at Cutech, is also convinced of
the success that this cooperation promises: "SCoutech considers
screening to be much more than a mechanical activity done by
sophisticated equipment. Our test procedures are reliable and beyond
ethical objection. Furthermore, our experts offer guidance and
consulting in order to provide our customers with information not
only on the efficacy of their products, but also on the possible
mechanism of action, in order to support both their R&D and marketing
departments."
 
 
About Symrise
 
Symrise is a global supplier of fragrances, flavorings and raw
materials and active ingredients for the perfume, cosmetics and food
industry.
 
With sales of ¤1.27 billion in 2007 the corporation ranks among the
top four in the international flavors and fragrances market. Symrise
is headquartered in Holzminden, Germany and operates in over 30
countries in Europe, Asia, the US and South America.
 
With over 40 registered patents each year, Symrise is one of the most
innovative manufacturers on the market. Our products are used in the
perfume, cosmetics and food industries, and everyday life would not
be the same without them. We combine our knowledge about consumer
trends with cutting-edge technologies and have focused on developing
innovative trend and lifestyle products with a specific added value
for consumers. Symrise - always inspiring more...
 
www.symrise.com

About Cutech
 
Cutech is an Italian biotech company that operates in the fields of
dermatology and cosmetology, with particular emphasis on hair and
skin disorders.
 
With its profound knowledge of the "skin system" and special
attention to the role played by the hair follicle in regulating its
metabolism, Cutech aims to create new models for human skin and hair
follicles for use as preclinical tools, as well as to discover new
active ingredients suitable for cosmeceutic applications.
 
Cutech facilities are based in Padua, Italy.  The company can rely on
a small team of competent and highly motivated scientists, extremely
flexible organization, a state-of-the-art technological platform
covering all fields of cell, tissue and molecular biology.
 
www.cutech.it
 
 
For further information:
red roses communications
Katja Derow
phone: [phone]
e-mail: [e-mail]
 


 
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Symrise AG
Mühlenfeldstraße 1 Holzminden Germany

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